Cycling UK Forum

Either the front or the back of new brake pads is closer to the rim. Would be nice to get them as near to flush as possible.

I have some washers from old brake pads, some concave and some convex and I have the idea that these worked in pairs to enable adjustments to the angle of the pad. However it looks to me as if you would need one set on each side of the caliper arm for this to work. Is this the purpose of this kind of washer, or am I imagining it?

Weinmann centrepulls, in case you were wondering. Thanks for any info.

it is a good idea to set the brakes up with a little 'toe in' i.e. with the frontmost edge of the brake block nearer (by about 0.5mm) to the rim.

If you buy the right kind of brake block it comes with those curvy washers to allow adjustment. They must be fitted in exactly the right way so that the brake block is secure and doesn't come loose.

Most 'V' blocks come with curvy washers and these blocks will fit weinmann centre pulls OK. You must fit both sets of curvy washers, so that the flat sides of the convex parts are against the brake arm, and each faces a matching concave washer.

Better still, Kool Stop Eagle IIs have a curved seating washer and curve-backed nut/washer to facilitate the same adjustment in a somewhat less fiddly fashion.

In the bad old days you bent the brake arm (once only!) and/or dressed the brake block to give a little toe-in.

cheers

Thanks a lot.

Lots of ball and socket/orbital pivot type systems on the market allow you to get correct alignment: http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/10 ... -plus.html

But brake blocks are not supposed to be positioned parallel to the rim. Put 'toe in brake shoe' into internet.

I set my pads flat onto the rim, without any toe in, because that is easiest, least time consuming and provides the most efficient braking. I then take the bike for a test spin and check that it all works as it should. If it does work, I leave it alone. If I generate squeal when applying the brakes, I then go back and set in a little toe in, forward edge of the pad onto the rim first. Generaly this will cure the problem. If not, I will try a slightly more extreme angle of toe in or try toeing in the rear part of the pad onto the rim first. The orbital washers come in sets, with a fat pair and a thin pair. These are to help set the brake caliper arms, as close to paralel to the rim as possible. Depending on how wide a rim you are using, will determine which side of the caliper arm these washers go, when fitting your pads.

I use a thin piece of card approx. 0.5mm between rear of brake block and rim when setting the toe in. Apply brakes lightly and tighten the bolts

IIRC the Kool Stop pads have a wee bleb on the rear edge so that the pads are effectively toed in slightly if you just set them on the rim. No card required!

cheers

I bet local bikes shops have those conical washers all over the floor by the bin. All blocks that need them come with them.

I would have thought that any brake pads that have bolts long enough will come complete with these alignment washers and that any that doesnt have the alignment washers will not have a long enough bolt or stud to use them.

Who will be the first to post and "educate" me about this?

As brake pads are a consumable with a fairly short life, I would just buy some more new pads to get the necessary washers.

One of the things I like about these;



is that they come with a longer stud than necessary, and curvy washers.

When fitting them to older centre-pulls, you can install extra spacers between the arm and the pad if you are using narrower rims. This lowers the straddle cable and gives more MA to the brake.

The only snag is that in some cases the back end of the pads fouls on the fork blades.

But normally yes, the pads that can use curvy washers (or other spacers) come with them, and those that can't, don't.

cheers

Just out of interest any thoughts on the pitch of the brake block rather than its toeing in (yaw?) I always have them set tangentially to the centre of the rim but then the braking surface gets dished with wear as the braking surface is wider than the block. Every now and again I move the pad up or down a bit. Have often wondered is it a really bad idea to have the block angled so that the entire braking surface is used?

as the brake blocks wear the contact point migrates up or down the rim (varies with brake design). A full width block will either get a lip on the bottom edge or may go into the tyre, depending on which way it goes. So from that perspective a narrower brake block is a good idea.

Obviously presenting them so they contact the rim square-on (when viewed lengthwise) is a good idea, although they soon wear this way anyway.

cheers

Get an adjustable spanner and bend the arms.

Use 'Cartridge' type block boxes ( the ones with the little retaining screw ). Then when new blocks are needed, take the little screws out, slide the worn blocks out and slide new blocks in. Replace little screws. No need to take boxes off arms.

Note. When first installing this system, adjust cable tension to slackest setting. As blocks wear, reel in the slack.

There is an excellent gadget available from TACX to set up brake blocks to align precisely with the rim, and to provide the very modest toe-in recommended.

See http://i0.wp.com/aushiker.com/wp-conten ... =550%2C413




(it's ideally used with a "third hand" tool to keep the blocks in position when tightening them up)

Rob

The toe-in recommended is actually very small, and helps prevent brake chatter and noise. If you don't have any problems with either of those, set them up however you like.